Definition of idiomnext
as in phrase
a sequence of words having a specific meaning the English idiom "how are you doing?" is our version of a greeting that in some other languages can be translated as "how are you going?"

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of idiom Like the idiom, their coffee shop hopes to bring surprising offerings to the coffee scene. Kansas City Star, 29 Apr. 2026 Buildings—a contemporary, fluid interpretation of the Cretan idiom by Pieris. Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026 And, as the idiom goes, steel sharpens steel. Kyle Eustice, SPIN, 7 Apr. 2026 An idiom is a phrase that is common to a certain population. Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for idiom
Recent Examples of Synonyms for idiom
Noun
  • The phrase actually originates from a speech by 19th-century Irish Parliamentary Party (IPP) leader Charles Stewart Parnell.
    Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 14 May 2026
  • Wright’s approach to the saxophone is often cubist in nature, reducing the music to isolated phrases and sounds and then battering them from every conceivable angle.
    Levi Dayan, Pitchfork, 11 May 2026
Noun
  • Experiments like Strachey’s were part of an explosion of postwar research on the relationship between mathematics and language, expressions of a broader fascination with the automation of knowledge, which crossed disciplines and suffused the culture.
    Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
  • That presentiment lies behind the many present expressions of apocalypse.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 May 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Idiom.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/idiom. Accessed 20 May. 2026.

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